Thursday, December 31, 2009

New book by friend Paul Moyse!

My Friend Paul Moyse has come out with a really nice book on caricature. Paul does some great work, solid likeness and structure, and funny too! He's not bad at painting either! :) If you're a fan of "good" caricature, and you want to learn something as well, I highly recommend that you order this book as soon as you can! Paul has graciously added a small demo on exaggeration as well as a nice demo on his acrylic technique. To support my pal Paul, click here.

NEWS• I'm currently working on an acrylic of the "Red Queen" for an Alice in Wonderland show at Gallery Nucleus in L.A. • I will paint the first Village Voice cover for 2010, only have one day to complete the cover, but hey, that's how it sometimes goes! I will be sure to do something fun and post it here as soon as I have permission to do so.• Hopefully I'll be able to share what I did for Aardman Animation sometime in 2010.• I'm also starting a book cover which I won't be able to share for sometime . . . • Stay tuned for new paintings that I'll post soon . . . one being the "Exaggerated Features" cover as well as a painting of Ross Perot Jr. Painted for D Magazine.

More to come soon! Thank you for all your support and encouragement!!!! Have a great New Years!!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Mooky Acrylic

This is a small acrylic I was commissioned to paint for artist Bill Wray.A gift painted for Sharon . . . this is their African Grey, "Mooky".

Bill wanted something somewhat caricature-ish . . . and I thought it would be funny to paint something that has the feeling of the old Dutch Flemish paintings . . . a bit of artist humor perhaps?

I scanned the painting in but ended up with horrible results . . . so unfortunately the only decent copy I have of the painting is this digital photo. At least the colors in this photo are close to the actual painting. I need to get a better scanner!

Acrylic 9"x12" on panel

Bill scanned the painting in and sent this version for me . . . the original is something in between these two images . . . you get the idea anyways. Here's what Bill wrote about my painting, on his blog . . . it's truly an honor for me to have painted this for Bill and Sharon . . . I have much respect for Bill and his work.

"Here is a painting by Jason Seiler I had commissioned for Christmas. Sharon and I are thrilled with it. He did a seamless blend of caricature and Old Dutch master painting. The best part is looks just like him, a feat since all birds look alike."-William Wray

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Perot for D Magazine

Here's a very quick little Illo I did about a month ago for D Magazine. I know . . . the idea is a bit cliche, Perot with "Dumbo-like" ears in all . . . but it is what the mag requested. It helps that the art director is great to work with, and that goes a long way in my book. Life isn't all about me and how I can better serve myself. Sometimes you need to serve others in order to receive joy and sanity in this world? Know what I mean?

I don't know much about the actual story . . . all I know is that Perot has re-located EDS somewhere outside Dallas . . . ?

I didn't have as much time to spend on this piece as I would have liked. If I remember correctly, I was in the middle of two other commissions that were also due that same week. In these situations, I do what I can to simplify yet get the same idea across to the viewer that the a.d. wanted. It is important when I feel rushed that the work still maintains my "look" and "quality". To do this, I spend the most time on keep areas that I know the viewers eyes will look at first, like the eyes and hands . . . after enough time is spent there, I begin to simplify and pull back a bit.

I prefer spending more time on my sketches and planning of a piece, working out the composition and so forth . . . If I had more time, I would have done things a bit different, but for what it is, I had me some fun!

I've heard from the A.D. that the Editor and folks at the mag got a real kick out of it . . . to hear that always feels good. I guess the editor or someone at the mag knows Mr. Ross Perot and had a giclee print made and framed and then delivered to him for his birthday. Would love to see his reaction when seeing the cartoon I painted of him.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Lack of posts?

. . . sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been really, really busy, painting a lot of paintings, private commissions, paintings for upcoming shows, for magazines and so on. I will be able to share some of what I have been working on very soon.

Also, been going through quite a bit lately, not so great of a holiday season I'm afraid. My Uncle David passed away early Monday morning. He was more like an older brother to me than an Uncle. He always supported my art and made a point to encourage and push me. I don't want to get into too much here, but I am deeply saddened by his passing, he was way too young, and too important to me.

I will never forget . . .

I'm posting my painting of Saddam in honor of David. He loved this painting and went on and on to me about it, it struck a cord within him, and now it has become more important to me. It's no longer "just a painting".

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

ISCA top 10 Most Interesting faces of 2009!

This year, the International Society of Caricature Artists decided to compile a list of the Top 10 Most Interesting Faces to draw in 2009. This list was created based on submissions from our professional members who make a living drawing caricatures.

SCHOOLISM = HOLIDAYISM!Also, my next class at Schoolism is filling up, there's a great holiday deal, a limited time offer that is well worth it!!! Check outSchoolism.com for more info on the holiday special as well as how to register for my January 8th class!

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Taylor Lautner for 5"x7" Power in Numbers show!

This small little painting was painted for an "online" show put on by Gallery Nucleus. All paintings or drawings must be 5"x7", and the cool thing is that the art if sold, will also be benefiting a cause. Money from my sales for example will be donated to The Red Cross. I painted quite fast, only spending two hours on the entire piece . . . this is fast for me, considering that my watercolor paintings tend to take a long, long time to paint. I'll post more info soon . . . I'm also working on a few other small watercolors and drawings for the show.

Detail.

SO, WHAT'S IN THE MIX SEILER?Well, funny you should ask. I just finished a cover for Exaggerated Features magazine . . . funny stuff, will be sharing that soon. I'm also working on a few other paintings for upcoming shows. One show in particular that I'm very excited about . . . something having to do with "Alice in Wonderland". I'll be posting more info on this soon.

Also working on a few illustrations for a few different magazines . . . there will be more art to share soon!

About Me

SEILER (Syler) is an award winning artist (who cares?), specializing in portraits, character design, and humorous illustration. Some of his clients include Rolling Stone, TIME magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Penguin Group, GOLF magazine, Guitar Player, The Weekly Standard, Business Week, MAD magazine and the Village Voice, among many others.
SEILER also teaches drawing and painting high end caricature illustration at Schoolism.com When not drawing or painting, SEILER spends the rest of his time with his two gorgeous girls, Isabeau and Ava!